Manuel Octavio Bermúdez Estrada was born on October 15, 1961, in Trujillo, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. He became an orphan shortly after his birth. Manuel was adopted by a woman who treated him very poorly. She was abusive and once threw him off a balcony. This incident caused him to break his hand and foot, resulting in a permanent limp.

After his time with his first adoptive mother, he was given to another family in the city of Palmira. His new parents struggled with alcohol addiction. His father was described as abusive, making his home life difficult. Despite these challenges, Manuel later had several children of his own as he grew older.

Manuel Octavio Bermúdez Estrada committed his crimes in the Valle del Cauca region of Colombia from 1999 to 2003. He raped and killed at least 21 children during this time. Many of his victims were lured to corn fields with the promise of money for picking corn. This allowed him to easily separate them from others.

Bermúdez's method involved using a syringe to inject substances that would weaken the children’s legs. After this, he would sexually assault and strangle them to death. The case gained attention when the mother of a 12-year-old boy named Luis Carlos Gálvez reported him missing. Bermúdez had been seen with the boy shortly before his disappearance.

On July 18, 2003, police arrested Bermúdez after investigating a room he had rented in a town called El Cairo. In this room, they found disturbing evidence. There were newspaper clippings related to the murders, syringes, a substance called Lidocaine, and the wristwatch belonging to Luis Carlos Gálvez.

After being apprehended, Bermúdez confessed to killing 21 children. Of these, 17 bodies were eventually found. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison on March 20, 2004. However, he is suspected of being involved in the deaths of more than 50 children across the region.